Page 133 - Stories from our Grandparents

I I

was four when there was war. Though I did not
face many horrors, I remember that my older
came to Singapore from South
sisters bore cropped hair, and wore shapeless
India, Tanjore District in 1972.
clothing to hide their true form from the Japanese.
My father was the editor of a Chinese newspaper, thus, I was married in India and came
to join my husband here. Back
our family was deemed valuable and kept alive. Still, then, majority of Singapore was a
unannounced, Japanese officials would knock on our front village with only a few HDB blocks.
door. My elder brothers and sisters would fly to their pianos or My husband and I lived in a small
begin to sing charming melodies. Providing entertainment was rented one-room flat in Toa Payoh.
how we were spared. Mdm Bathurunisa Bte Born 1949 I had a few relatives in Singapore
Mohd Ismail
The Kempeitai set a bounty on my eldest sister’s head, then and many of them were living
Ping Yi Secondary School
determined to catch her and her allies in a resistance By Al-Farveez Mohammed in the kampong houses. When it
force. It seemed like the whole of Kuala Lumpur knew who rains, the houses were flooded
wanted her dead. To escape death, our father married her and the roads were muddy.
off to a rich and handsome young man, who brought her to When I first came to Singapore, I had very few friends and
Singapore soon after the wedding. I could not imagine my relatives. I would usually stay at home and the only few places that
sister as a bride at the age of 17. I visited were Haw Par Villa and Little India. I relish visiting Haw Par

I started to wonder, what would happen to me? Unlike my sister, I Villa which was previously known as the Tiger Balm Gardens as
married only in my 30s and after the war. I married a man who hid in there were many huge sculptures and figurines. They illustrate the
the Malaysian jungles during the Japanese Occupation. Chinese moral stories and vividly depict the Chinese
folklore and punishments accorded to people who
“I married a man who never allowed sweet potatoes or failed to be morally upright. Next, I am fond of
tapiocas to be served on the dining table.” going to Little India. I will purchase my groceries
and have a meal with my husband. Whenever I am
White rice was his favoured staple. I could see why. To him, sweet homesick, I would visit Little India. It was nice to
potatoes left the sour taste of deprivation on his tongue. Tapioca only meet people from my village.
unearthed the roots of his hardships when war broke out. We moved
to Singapore. There, I taught secondary school students the Chinese “One aspect I remember very vividly which has changed a lot
language and raised three children in the heart of Serangoon Gardens. now is the wet market. Last time, we would be able to buy
Life grew increasingly busy. I just hoped that, my duty as a mother live chicken in the market. They sold live poultry in the wet
would not include shipping my children off to a foreign land in order markets. The butcher would slaughter and remove the skin
to ensure their survival.
of the chicken for the customers. The curry made from fresh
chicken was very delicious. I miss them.”

Singapore has advanced vastly over the past 46 years and I’m very
Mdm Lau Lim Chee proud to be a Singaporean. I would like to tell the future generation to
Born 1935 study hard and to help to advance Singapore’s future even further.

By Laetitia Choo Yan Yee
74 Grandma Stories Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School Grandma Stories 75